Regiments of the Malta Garrison 44th (East Essex) Regiment

The 44th (East Essex) Regiment

Introduction

The Castle and Key of Gibraltar are embraced by a wreath of oak leaves, below which is a scroll inscribed the Essex Regiment. Above the central turret is a Sphinx resting on a tablet inscribed Egypt, granted to the 44th for its role in the Egyptian Campaign 1801.

The 44th Foot was raised in 1741, as Colonel James Long's Regiment of Foot.

In 1751 it was numbered 44th in the army's order of precedence. It received its affiliation with East Essex in 1782.

On 25 June 1827, royal approval was granted for the 44th to bear on its Colours the word Bladensburg, in commemoration of its distinguished conduct on the heights above Bladensburg on 24 Aug 1814.

The 1st/44th (East Essex) Regiment

1 July 1805 The 44th Regiment arrived with General Craig's Expedition but was kept in Malta to augment the garrison. Strength: 35 Commissioned and Warrant Officers, 76 NCOs, 862 rank and file fit for duty, 36 rank and file sick, 1015 total officers and men, 1127 establishment.

14 Aug 1805 Strength: 688 men. On 13 August Sir James Craig said of the regiment:

The 44th is a wonderful fine regiment, generally speaking young, but by no means children. Stout, well made and in short one of the most promising regiments I have met with anywhere. They have I think one of the finest Light Companies I ever saw and their battalion is able to afford it. Their Grenadier Company is almost equal to it. This regiment is however, extremely defective in its discipline, neither officers nor men seemed at all trained or to be acquainted with what they are about. I felt myself obliged to notice the state of the regiment to the commanding officer in strong terms and I shall put them under a superintendence that will I hope soon correct the evil.6

15 Feb Pte Thomas Kelly was sentenced to death by a Garrison Court Martial for robbing a shop. The merchants of Valletta, however, appealed for clemency and his sentence was commuted to transportation to Botany Bay.1

2 Dec Downing Street: The 2nd/11th Regiment from Gibraltar to Malta is to relieve the 1st/44th regiment. When the 11th regiment arrives at Malta the 44th is to form part of the army under the command of Lord William Bentick in Sicily.1

The 1st/44th (East Essex) Regiment

8 May 1848 520 men, 47 women, and 34 children embarked at Cork on 18 April 1848. They arrived in Malta on 8 May and relieved the 1st/97th Regiment which left for Nova Scotia.

30 May At St Paul's Collegiate Church Valletta, Bachelor L/Sgt William Dadd of the Parish of Tottenham Middlesex married Mary Evans a spinster of the County of Dublin, Ireland, daughter of Thomas Evans of Dublin.

12 Sep Acting Police Physician Dr Tomaso Chetcuti and Dr Joseph Becket Henry Collings visited the military hospital and examined the cases which had given rise to a report that three soldiers of the 44th had been attacked with cholera at Floriana Barracks. The two doctors expressed their opinion that the men were suffering from bilious diarrhoea of a severe kind and not cholera. This was supported by Surgeon Daniel Armstrong 44th Regiment, who had great experience of cholera in India.5

10 Oct 1848 Cholera appeared on Tuesday 10 Oct 1848. Consequently, HQ Coy 1st/44th was removed to Fort Manoel, a company moved to Francesco de Paola Barracks Cottonera, while another went to Fort Ricasoli.

May 1850 The Reserve Bn/44th Foot amalgamated with the 1st/44th Regiment.

28 May Death of John Bryan son of Eileen and John Bryan 44th (?) Regiment. (Military and Civil Cemetery Floriana).

1 July Jane, wife of CSgt John Scott 44th Regiment, aged 21 years 10 months, died at Floriana Barracks of cholera within a few hours of falling sick. She left to mourn her an infant child.4

Five men of the 44th, and a wife of private Deady also fell victim to cholera at Cospicua. The men who since their arrival at Fort Ricasoli from Floriana had been in excellent health, had reason to be thankful for their removal to a salubrious spot. One company from Isola was split up between Zabbar and Zejtun. The soldier's wives and children at San Francesco de Paola suffered severely from cholera. In July, twenty were in the dead house in the hospital at Vittoriosa. The wives were removed to Fort Chambray Gozo, where five died on the day of their arrival.

23 July 112 men and the regimental band were removed from San Francisco de Paola to Fort Chambray Gozo in HM Steam ship Porcupine. They were accompanied by Assistant Surgeon
James Thomson Reserve Battalion. On their arrival at Gozo, the inhabitants assisted the troops in procuring carts to transport their baggage to Fort Chambray. The troops were enclosed within the fort and all communications with the inhabitants were studiously prohibited.2

By the 28th of July, of the troops sent to Fort Chambray Gozo, eight had died. The 44th Regiment lost 65 men, 10 women and nine children since its first appearance. The 69th had not lost a man but one sergeant. The Royal Artillery had also been fortunate, not more than three of that corps had died. The medical men were very severely worked reported the Times dated 28 July, and most of them have been laid up.

1851 HQ Coy at Floriana Barracks was relieved by the 3rd (Buffs). It embarked on the freight ship Athenian. During their three year service in Malta the 44th had suffered considerably from the cholera epidemic.3

1 May Bachelor Sgt Richard Ryall born in the Parish of Werburg in the City of Dublin married Eliza Clayton, spinster born in Cashel in the County of Tipperary, Ireland.

9 May 1851 438 men, 38 women and 51 children left for Gibraltar.

A monument was erected by the regiment to the memory of 7 Sgts, 1 Cpl, 3 Drms, 129 Ptes, 20 women and 33 children of the Corps who died at Malta between 8 May 1848 and 6 May 1851, being the period of their station in the island.

The 1st/44th (East Essex) Regiment

Florence Susan MacMahon infant daughter of Major Patrick William and Ellen MacMahon born 20 Aug 1853, died 20 July 1854. (Quarantine Bastion Cemetery)

15 Mar 1854 The 1st/44th arrived from Gibraltar. 923 men were placed under canvas at St Clement Barracks Cottonera, and at Fort Manoel. In March, nights were cold and it rained heavily.

4 Apr The 1st/44th was the first regiment to embark for Turkey following the declaration of war against Russia. By 5th April, the 44th had struck every tent at St Clements and the 923 men left the following morning.

Nov 1854 In November, the regiment had 22 officers and 608 men serving in the Crimea. Cholera broke out on the 28th of the month with great virulence and mortality. There were 35 admissions with 21 deaths before the end of the month. The surgeon blamed the wet and cold weather for the epidemic. Some cases of fever broke out after 14 November; two proved fatal.

20 Nov In the Collegiate Church of St Paul's Valletta, Bachelor Sgt Thomas Harvey born in Tollesbury, Essex, son of Thomas and Mary Harvey married Christina Chesterton, spinster born in Bermuda West Indies, daughter of Barrack Sgt Thomas Chesterton and Mary his wife.

13 Apr 1849 The Reserve Battalion marched from Fort Manoel to Fort Ricasoli as part of the garrison change over. A detachment was at Fort Tigne, half a coy was at San Salvatore, and HQ Coy was at Fort Ricasoli.

TNA:WO 156/122; List of gravestones at the Military and Civil Cemetery 1801–1865 and the Quarantine Bastion Cemetery 1819–1867 compiled by the Rev D B L Foster Assistant Chaplain General Western Mediterranean in May 1939.